Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan

Gilbert William Schwenck Sir

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• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 27 septembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819928935
• Langue: English

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THE 14 GILBERT AND SULLIVAN PLAYS
By William S. Gilbert and Sir ArthurSullivan
William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivancollaborated on 14 operas in the period from 1871 to 1896.
THE GONDOLIERS
OR
THE KING OF BARATARIA
Libretto by William S. Gilbert
Music by Arthur S. Sullivan
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
THE DUKE OF PLAZA-TORO (a Grandee of Spain)
LUIZ (his attendant)
DON ALHAMBRA DEL BOLERO (the GrandInquisitioner)
Venetian Gondoliers
MARCO PALMIERI
GIUSEPPE PALMIERI
ANTONIO
FRANCESCO
GIORGIO
ANNIBALE
THE DUCHESS OF PLAZA-TORO
CASILDA (her Daughter)
Contadine
GIANETTA
TESSA
FIAMETTA
VITTORIA
GIULIA
INEZ (the King's Foster-mother)
Chorus of Gondoliers and Contadine, Men-at-Arms,Heralds and
Pages
ACT I
The Piazzetta, Venice
ACT II
Pavilion in the Palace of Barataria
(An interval of three months is supposed to elapsebetween Acts I
and II)
DATE
1750
ACT I
Scene. — the Piazzetta, Venice. The Ducal Palace onthe right.
Fiametta, Giulia, Vittoria, and other Contadinediscovered, each
tying a bouquet of roses.
CHORUS OF CONTADINE.
List and learn, ye dainty roses,
Roses white and roses red,
Why we bind you into posies
Ere your morning bloom has fled.
By a law of maiden's making,
Accents of a heart that's aching,
Even though that heart be breaking,
Should by maiden be unsaid:
Though they love with love exceeding,
They must seem to be unheeding—
Go ye then and do their pleading,
Roses white and roses red!
FIAMETTA.
Two there are for whom in duty,
Every maid in Venice sighs—
Two so peerless in their beauty
That they shame the summer skies.
We have hearts for them, in plenty,
They have hearts, but all too few,
We, alas, are four-and-twenty!
They, alas, are only two!
We, alas!
CHORUS. Alas!
FIA. Are four-and-twenty,
They, alas!
CHORUS. Alas!
FIA. Are only two.
CHORUS. They, alas, are only two, alas!
Now ye know, ye dainty roses,
Roses white and roses red,
Why we bind you into posies,
Ere your morning bloom has fled,
Roses white and roses red!
(During this chorus Antonio, Francesco, Giorgio, andother
Gondoliers have entered unobserved by the Girls— atfirst two,
then two more, then four, then half a dozen, thenthe remainder
of the Chorus. )
SOLI.
FRANC. Good morrow, pretty maids; for whom prepareye
These floral tributes extraordinary?
FIA. For Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri,
The pink and flower of all the Gondolieri.
GIU. They're coming here, as we have heard butlately,
To choose two brides from us who sit sedately.
ANT. Do all you maidens love them?
ALL. Passionately!
ANT. These gondoliers are to be envied greatly!
GIOR. But what of us, who one and all adore you?
Have pity on our passion, we implore you!
FIA. These gentlemen must make their choice beforeyou;
VIT. In the meantime we tacitly ignore you.
GIU. When they have chosen two that leaves youplenty—
Two dozen we, and ye are four-and-twenty.
FIA. and VIT. Till then, enjoy your dolce farniente.
ANT. With pleasure, nobody contradicente!
SONG— ANTONIO and CHORUS.
For the merriest fellows are we, tra la,
That ply on the emerald sea, tra la;
With loving and laughing,
And quipping and quaffing,
We're happy as happy can be, tra la—
With loving and laughing, etc.
With sorrow we've nothing to do, tra la,
And care is a thing to pooh-pooh, tra la;
And Jealousy yellow,
Unfortunate fellow,
We drown in the shimmering blue, tra la—
And Jealousy yellow, etc.
FIA. (looking off). See, see, at last they come tomake their
choice—
Let us acclaim them with united voice.
(Marco and Giuseppe appear in gondola at back. )
CHORUS (Girls). Hail, hail! gallant gondolieri, benvenuti!
Accept our love, our homage, and our duty.
Ben' venuti! ben' venuti!
(Marco and Giuseppe jump ashore— the Girls salutethem. )
DUET— MARCO and GIUSEPPE, with CHORUS OF GIRLS.
MAR. and GIU. Buon' giorno, signorine!
GIRLS. Gondolieri carissimi!
Siamo contadine!
MAR. and GIU. (bowing). Servitori umilissimi!
Per chi questi fiori—
Questi fiori bellissimi?
GIRLS. Per voi, bei signori
O eccellentissimi!
(The Girls present their bouquets to Marco andGiuseppe, who are
overwhelmed with them, and carry them withdifficulty. )
MAR. and GIU. (their arms full of flowers). O ciel'!O ciel'!
GIRLS. Buon' giorno, cavalieri!
MAR. and GIU. (deprecatingly). Siamo gondolieri.
(To Fia. and Vit. ) Signorina, io t' amo!
GIRLS. (deprecatingly). Contadine siamo.
MAR. and GIU. Signorine!
GIRLS (deprecatingly). Contadine!
(Curtseying to Mar. and Giu. ) Cavalieri.
MAR. and GIU. (deprecatingly). Gondolieri!
Poveri gondolieri!
CHORUS. Buon' giorno, signorine, etc.
DUET— MARCO and GIUSEPPE.
We're called gondolieri,
But that's a vagary,
It's quite honorary
The trade that we ply.
For gallantry noted
Since we were short-coated,
To beauty devoted,
Giuseppe\Are Marco and I;
When morning is breaking,
Our couches forsaking,
To greet their awaking
With carols we come.
At summer day's nooning,
When weary lagooning,
Our mandolins tuning,
We lazily thrum.
When vespers are ringing,
To hope ever clinging,
With songs of our singing
A vigil we keep,
When daylight is fading,
Enwrapt in night's shading,
With soft serenading
We sing them to sleep.
We're called gondolieri, etc.
RECITATIVE— MARCO and GIUSEPPE.
MAR. And now to choose our brides!
GIU. As all are young and fair,
And amiable besides,
BOTH. We really do not care
A preference to declare.
MAR. A bias to disclose
Would be indelicate—
GIU. And therefore we propose
To let impartial Fate
Select for us a mate!
ALL. Viva!
GIRLS. A bias to disclose
Would be indelicate—
MEN. But how do they propose
To let impartial Fate
Select for them a mate?
GIU. These handkerchiefs upon our eyes be goodenough to
bind,
MAR. And take good care that both of us areabsolutely
blind;
BOTH. Then turn us round— and we, with allconvenient
despatch,
Will undertake to marry any two of you we catch!
ALL. Viva!
They undertake to marry any two of us\them theycatch!
(The Girls prepare to bind their eyes as directed.)
FIA. (to Marco). Are you peeping?
Can you see me?
MAR. Dark I'm keeping,
Dark and dreamy!
(Marco slyly lifts
bandage. )
VIT. (to Giuseppe). If you're blinded
Truly, say so
GIU. All right-minded
Players play so!
(slyly lifts bandage).
FIA. (detecting Marco). Conduct shady!
They are cheating!
Surely they de-
Serve a beating!
(replaces bandage).
VIT. (detecting Giuseppe). This too much is;
Maidens mocking—
Conduct such is
Truly shocking!
(replaces bandage).
ALL. You can spy, sir!
Shut your eye, sir!
You may use it by and by, sir!
You can see, sir!
Don't tell me, sir!
That will do— now let it be, sir!
CHORUS OF GIRLS. My papa he keeps three horses,
Black, and white, and dapple grey, sir;
Turn three times, then take your courses,
Catch whichever girl you may, sir!
CHORUS OF MEN. My papa, etc.
(Marco and Giuseppe turn round, as directed, and tryto catch the
girls. Business of blind-man's buff. EventuallyMarco catches
Gianetta, and Giuseppe catches Tessa. The two girlstry to
escape, but in vain. The two men pass their handsover the
girls' faces to discover their identity. )
GIU. I've at length achieved a capture!
(Guessing. ) This is Tessa! (removes bandage).Rapture,
rapture!
CHORUS. Rapture, rapture!
MAR. (guessing). To me Gianetta fate hasgranted!
(removes bandage).
Just the very girl I wanted!
CHORUS. Just the very girl he wanted!
GIU. (politely to Mar. ). If you'd ratherchange—
TESS. My goodness!
This indeed is simple rudeness.
MAR. (politely to Giu. ). I've no preferencewhatever—
GIA. Listen to him! Well, I never!
(Each man kisses each girl. )
GIA. Thank you, gallant gondolieri!
In a set and formal measure
It is scarcely necessary
To express our pleasure.
Each of us to prove a treasure,
Conjugal and monetary,
Gladly will devote our leisure,
Gay and gallant gondolieri.
Tra, la, la, la, la, la, etc.
TESS. Gay and gallant gondolieri,
Take us both and hold us tightly,
You have luck extraordinary;
We might both have been unsightly!
If we judge your conduct rightly,
'Twas a choice involuntary;
Still we thank you most politely,
Gay and gallant gondolieri!
Tra, la, la, la, la, la, etc.
CHORUS OF Thank you, gallant gondolieri;
GIRLS. In a set and formal measure,
It is scarcely necessary
To express our pleasure.
Each of us to prove a treasure
Gladly will devote our leisure,
Gay and gallant gondolieri!
Tra, la, la, la, la, la, etc.
ALL. Fate in this has put his finger—
Let us bow to Fate's decree,
Then no longer let us linger,
To the altar hurry we!
(They all dance off two and two— Gianetta withMarco, Tessa with
Giuseppe. )
(Flourish. A gondola arrives at the Piazzetta steps,from which
enter the Duke of Plaza-toro, the Duchess, theirdaughter
Casilda, and their attendant Luiz, who carries adrum. All are
dressed in pompous but old and faded clothes. )
(Entrance of Duke, Duchess, Casilda, and Luiz. )
DUKE. From the sunny Spanish shore,
The Duke of Plaza-Tor! —
DUCH. And His Grace's Duchess true—
CAS. And His Grace's daughter, too—
LUIZ. And His Grace's private drum
To Venetia's shores have come:
ALL. If ever, ever, ever
They get back to Spain,
They will never, never, never
Cross the sea again—
DUKE. Neither that Grandee from the Spanishshore,
The noble Duke of Plaza-Tor'—
DUCH. Nor His Grace's Duchess, staunch and true—
CAS. You may add, His Grace's daughter, too—
LUIZ. Nor His Grace's own particular drum
To Venetia's shores will come:
ALL. If ever, ever, ever
They get back to Spain,
They will never, never, never
Cross the sea again!
DUKE. At last we have arrived at our destination.This is
the Ducal Palace, and it is here that the GrandInquisitor
resides. As a Castilian hidalgo of ninety-fivequarterings, I
regret that I am unable to pay my state visit on ahorse. As a
Castilian hidalgo of that description, I should havepreferred to
ride through the streets of Venice;